GPU Questions

Hiya! My first post here at techspot =) pleased to make your acquaintances

My current computer is getting to be 4 years old now (see siggy) and I'm thinking of building a desktop sometime soon.

I'm not a hardcore gamer -- i don't really mind having my settings at Low/Medium and don't need crazy-*** FPS for my games. However, I would like to be able to use this computer for a good 4~5 years without too many issues (too much to ask for?)

I like shooters like Teamfortress2 and Cod4 as well as RTS like Starcraft (I'm expecting to get SC2 when/if that comes out). I've always wanted to play Left4Dead as well. Ahem.

This being my first time building a desktop, I'm not too sure what kind of hardware to get. As far as the GPU goes, what do you guys suggest? I'm willing to stretch my budget to 250 for a card, but preferably closer to the $200 range. The entire system, I'm thinking 1000~1200 without a monitor. Sound reasonable?

For now, look into the , 4890, 4870 (specifically the Saphire vapor-x 1gb 4870 available at newegg at $150) as good graphics card choices, you should be able to play any game at good settings with any of these. They go in order of price.

I have all the peripherals I will need (as far as I can foresee). But an OS i completely forgot about. I'll probably need to buy that one =\. I'm a student, so I can likely get a deal on that... but I'll have to look into it when I start in September.

I've been looking at the Radeon 4870 for a while. Does the Vapor-X cooling system make a huge difference? The pricing seems really good. (By the way, I'm a Canadian resident, so newegg.com deals aren't available to me... *sad*... the Canadian site does offer the 4870+vaporx for 160CAD though)

I will look into these parts for sure! Thanks hellokitty =) your feedback was great

I've been looking at the Radeon 4870 for a while. Does the Vapor-X cooling system make a huge difference? The pricing seems really good. (By the way, I'm a Canadian resident, so newegg.com deals aren't available to me... *sad*... the Canadian site does offer the 4870+vaporx for 160CAD though)

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The vapor-x is better than a standard cooling, but I recommend it because its also the cheapest 1gb 4870, a great deal. On newegg at least .

Actually, a more general question. I've heard that the next series of graphics cards (5000-series for ATI) is coming out "soon". If I wait for them to come out before buying smth like the 4870, would I see a huge reduction in cost?

Actually, a more general question. I've heard that the next series of graphics cards (5000-series for ATI) is coming out "soon". If I wait for them to come out before buying smth like the 4870, would I see a huge reduction in cost?

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Hi matchu,
Gpu prices are really phenomenal right now. and DX 11 cards are going to take a while to gather support from the game companies,witness how long it has taken for DX 10.0 and 10.1. just my opinion, but i would not delay a build based on a huge price drop from the upcoming DX 11 cards.

Grand Total = $1150 approximately, not including shipping. Your entire NCIX order will ship free, since its below 150lbs. This offer comes with the WD HDD. Also, register the card on XFX's website to be eligible for their Double Lifetime Warranty. More details on the latter here.

I don't think that the AMD Phenom II X4 920 will be supported on the given AM3 motherboard as the processor is an AM2+. You might want to look into the X3 720 as stated above. Or maybe even the X4 955.

i see someone has already suggested it, but i'll say it anyway, if you are looking at $250 or so for graphics card skip the Radeon HD 4870 or 4890 because GTX 275 outperforms these cards with no effort.

Techspot has a review for this: www[DOT]techspot[DOT]com/review/164-radeon-4890-vs-geforce-gtx275/

I don't think that the AMD Phenom II X4 920 will be supported on the given AM3 motherboard as the processor is an AM2+. You might want to look into the X3 720 as stated above. Or maybe even the X4 955.

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I think Newegg got it wrong on that one. All the Phenom II's are AM3, as far as I know.

One question that comes to mind since Hello Kitty brought up the issue of cooling. A couple of user reviews point out that the gtx275 can get kinda warm. Looking at the xfx website - it says the card has a fan. Is that generally enough, or might i need to get an extra cooling device?

Indeed. Looking at the prices for those parts, most of them much more expensive from the newegg.ca website. The system looks really impresive, though. Thanks Klepto for the suggestions.

I'm curious, though. As far as gaming is concerned, is there a large performance difference between the phenom x4 and the intel quad core? Or will the GPU make most of the difference?

Also, regarding the motherboard that Rage posted, I'm looking at the specs and I'm not sure if I'm understanding it correctly. I'm under the impression that it comes with onboard sound and networking ;; am i correct?

The vista to win7 ugprade looks like it's only available to American residents, but that's fine. I'll see if I can get a copy from my University. *crosses fingers*

I'll keep an eye on these parts from different retailers. I'm tempted to just buy everything now (since the parts have discounts that end in august) but I'm not quite ready to dish out $1000 right away -_- would be kind of... too quick for me.

As I stated before, gaming is far more dependent on the GPU than the CPU. That Phenom II is no weakling either. I could have suggested a faster CPU like the X4 955, but that would have eaten into your GPU budget, which would have made for a far weaker gaming system.

You are correct. An overwhelming majority of motherboards come with those two options as standard nowadays.

I don't think that's true. Look here on how to order your copy of Windows 7. Canada is in the list, so I'm sure you can get yours. I don't see why NCIX would list it on their site otherwise.

Oh and BTW, you can buy the parts from NCIX's stores as well, if you have any near you.